1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a multimedia computer system, and more particularly, relates to a computer system having a drive type video cassette recorder incorporated therein for recording and playing moving images to and from a video cassette tape usable for commercially available camcorders.
2. Related Art
As the performance and scale of microprocessors progress, personal computer systems have drastically moved to multimedia environments for processing a variety of information data, such as text, sounds, graphics, animation, movie, and so forth. Such computer systems are known as multimedia computers. In order to perform a multimedia function, high performance video card, sound card, TV/radio card, modems, etc. must be installed in the computers. In addition, media players such as CD-ROM drives as well as corresponding software drivers must be implemented.
In conventional multimedia computers, a moving picture has been obtained by an MPEG card, a video CD software decoder, or a TV card. A single frame image or successive frames of the moving picture can be captured and stored in a data storage, such as hard disks or floppy disks. Stored image data can subsequently be retrieved for editing purposes as desired by using a graphic software. Usually, when storing, digital data of the moving picture is compressed with a specific data format in accordance with Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) standards in order to reduce the size for storage. However, if extended recording for a large number of frames is necessary, the recording time is limited due to the limited capacity of the data storage.
Meanwhile, the moving picture is often produced by camcorders. The picture signal is recorded on a small sized video tape, for example, an 8 mm video cassette tape. When this moving picture is reproduced, usually the camcorder is coupled with a television set, by using a cable connecting the LINE OUT terminal of the camcorder with the LINE IN terminal of the television. Alternatively, the moving picture recorded on the 8 mm video cassette can be directly reproduced through the monitor installed in the camcorder or by using a separate video cassette recorder (VCR) which can receive the 8 mm video cassette. Editing of the moving picture may then be performed under control of the video cassette recorder. Therefore, a need arises that the moving picture recorded in the video cassette tape of the camcorder be reproduced in the multimedia computer systems. In addition, it is also desirable that the moving picture produced in the TV card of the computer system be recorded onto the video cassette tape.
Contemporary VCR control devices for computer systems such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,718 for Control Arrangement And Method For Video Tape Recorder issued to Parker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,022 for System For Control Of A Video Storage Means By A Programmed Processor issued to Peers et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,584 for Computer Control For VCR Including Display Of Record Playback Listing And Playback Order Selection issued to Hashimoto, U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,783 for Piloting Interface For 8 MM Video Cameras And VTR's And Accessories, By Computer issued to Falck, U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,359 for Analog Video Interactive (AVI) PC Add-On Card For Controlling Consumer Grade VHS-VCR issued to Sharma et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,835 for Audio-Visual Inventory And Play-Back Control System issued to Hickley, are interface devices that can be independent and external from the computer systems or inserted into expansion slots of the computer systems for interfacing with conventional VCRs in order to control their operations through the computer systems. These interface devices essentially serve as connectors between computer systems and conventional VCRs. While contemporary VCR control devices permit convenient control of VCRs through computer systems, it has been our observation that independent VCRs and interfaces devices can be cumbersome, cost prohibitive, and that none is efficiently adapted for portable housing computer systems.